Showing 21 - 30 of 129
Thai TV not yet destined for global love
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 24/03/2018
» The soap series Bupphaesannivas (Love Destiny) is all the rage these days in Thailand. I enjoy some parts of it, especially one memorable episode a few weeks back when the female lead, a beautiful vixen in 17th century Ayutthaya, displays her vituperative talent by shouting at her servant, "Shut up or I'll smack your mouth with my piss pot." Neither did we see the piss nor the pot, but we get the picture. There's even a YouTube clip of that.
Italian legend Vinicio Capossela in Bangkok
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 01/03/2018
» One of the best-known Italian artists is coming to town next week.
Devotional aesthetics
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 07/02/2018
» Ustaz Suleiman dipped his brush in a bottle of ink and moved his hand over a piece of paper. His fingers nimble, his movement steady as if he was holding a breath, Suleiman drew a trellis of calligraphic elegance that spells the Thai name of our photographer in classical Arabic.
Modern-day creature feature
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 02/02/2018
» An eccentric love story between a woman and an amphibious creature, Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape Of Water has moved ahead to the front-runner spot in the Oscar's Best Picture, racking up the total of 13 nominations including the four acting categories. Del Toro's trick of turning B-movie grotesquerie -- interspecies sex, for instance -- into a darling of cinema bourgeois can still work wonders. And while this sweet and weird story isn't entirely unpredictable -- think mid-century beauty-and-the-beast flicks such as King Kong or, obviously, Creature From The Black Lagoon -- the director's imagination gives it an authentic vintage texture and enough doses of shocks and blood.
Oldman shines bright in Darkest Hour
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 12/01/2018
» Jowly, chubby, blustery, cinema-ready, Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill is an exercise in How to Win the Golden Globes and Maybe the Oscar. Which aspiring actor wouldn't want to become Churchill at least once, to act out that avuncular theatricality and grandiose temper, to assume that oratory bombast and majestic eloquence? They say you have to play a madman or a psychopath to get a shot at a best actor prize. Now we should add British prime minister into the list -- just ask Meryl Streep and now Oldman.
'Mad clown' a mascot for failed govt PR
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 02/12/2017
» In a rough week for the military government, the best response they could come up with was unveiling a nightmarish mascot right out of a horror movie. In a week that called for deft public relations manoeuvring, the government spokesman riled the Muslim South with disgraceful doublespeak. In a week that required a calm port in a storm, the prime minister's infamous blustering blew the top off every lid of decency.
'Be yourself'
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 16/11/2017
» Shawn Mendes came away from the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) on Sunday with the top honour of Best Artist. The 18-year-old former YouTube star has come a long way from his early internet stardom, with his 2015 album Handwritten debuting at No.1 on Billboard's Top 200 Album chart -- and 2.3 billion streams worldwide. Mendes' 2016 album Illuminate again debuted at No.1 on the Billboard chart and went on to garner much popular and critical acclaim.
Look ahead after a grand farewell
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 28/10/2017
» The yarn of history has spun its fine threads. History is the majestic pageantry that took place on Thursday, the likes of which we'll never see again. It is the centuries-old chariots dripping with gold, the festooned processions and severe steps of solemn marchers, the sorrowful magnificence of the royal crematorium. History is the elegiac trumpet salute to the beloved King, the fabulous cosmology of heaven recreated on Earth, the stunning synchronicity of the masked dance performers, and finally, history is the invisible fire and the grey smoke in the night sky, signalling that everything must return to ashes.
Where to pay final respects to King Bhumibol
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 26/10/2017
» The royal cremation day has arrived. Hundreds of thousands are expected to turn up at the ceremonial grounds to witness the historic event. Millions more are going to watch the proceedings on television. Those who would like to pay their last respect to King Bhumibol also have the choice of placing the sandalwood flowers at the 85 replicas of the royal crematorium around the country. There is one in each province and nine in Bangkok.
Four inspiring tales for the price of none
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 25/10/2017
» The gift of love, kindness and generosity from the late King Bhumibol lives on in the minds of all Thais. It serves as the inspiration behind the anthology film Khong Kwan (The Gift), comprised of four short films by four Thai directors to be screened free of charge beginning Saturday at cinemas nationwide.